Through the Darkness
by Topaz Cello
Summary: Just a boy who can only see darkness and a girl who could only hear black. One day, they will find a light: each other. Percy/Annabeth. AU
1. Chapter 1

I have been deleting almost all of my stories on Fanfiction, simply because I need to edit them more. They might be up again later.

After my ("failed") multi-chapter fic, I started a new one. It was an idea I had to get down for a while now, an AU where Percy is blind and Annabeth is deaf. It might sound really weird right now, but I hope it'll get better.

**Warning: **Percy might seem a bit OOC in the beginning. It's better for that (cliche but useful) "broken guy" kind of feel.

This is also for the ending of the Heroes of Olympus. Just a bit more Percabeth. :D

**I do not own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<br>**

Percy was a funny kid.

He loved to swim even though he couldn't see where the water was. He could push through swamps of algae and seaweed without seeing where he would end up. He could tell who was beautiful without knowing what their faces looked like.

His mom tried to get help for him.

What for; he didn't need any help.

He was fine the way he was.

Immersed in black, it was okay to him. It was like navigating through water, just the same. He had no problem with darkness.

But Percy was a funny kid.

And maybe one day… he wanted to see something. For once.

Maybe opening your eyes and actually seeing something materialize was cooler than trying to make your way out of an eternal maze.

But for now, he was fine the way he was.

Teachers had called him "blind." Hell, he wasn't blind. Why would he be blind? He just simply couldn't see anything but black. That wasn't blind, was it?

"It is," his mother told him when he was nine. "You used to see until you turned eight."

"Then how come I can't remember?" he protested. "I should be able to remember."

And she had looked at him sadly, and pointed to the few scars on his head and he realized that he couldn't remember.

Percy hated not remembering.

Then, he hated not seeing. He wanted to see his mother's face again. He wanted to meet his father, wherever he was, and see if he was cool like the other dads kids talked about. He wanted to actually know what his best friend Grover actually looked like. And what did _he _look like, exactly?

Now, he didn't care.

Besides, it was better this way. "Don't judge a book by its cover" was one of his mother's favorite sayings. Look, he couldn't.

Percy couldn't remember ever feeling the need to see ever again, not after the age of ten. Ten was a turning point. Nobody starts to care at ten. Things just tumbled from his brain, and spilled from his mouth.

People said he was handsome. With black hair and the "deepest sea green eyes." Percy couldn't tell if they were lying. If he took a guess, he would be the ugliest beast that ever crawled the planet.

"It's a shame that he can't know what he looks like," they all said, and he shrugged.

"I don't really mind," was always his reply.

Percy never minded until he turned fifteen.

He moved to a different school, to a different city. The move from Manhattan to Long Island was not very far, but he couldn't travel in cars. Percy hated cars. If he could, he would rather swim there.

And he felt long and lanky and out of place at his new school. He could feel presences here and there, and people brushed past him as if he were just a tree or a clump of bushes. He wanted to go after them and hit them, but for now, he was content with nobody talking about _it_.

So Percy leaned against the bike rack and pulled his hood over his head, trying to leer at any younger kids. He didn't know how to leer; he never saw one. He tried his best, though. He read about them in books, felt the dots beneath his fingers. He should have an idea.

He felt a funny bump to his side and he whirled around in utter confusion, knocking his knees on the bike rack.

Percy swore fluently, reaching his hands out like a desperate zombie trying to catch at a few helpless moths. Do zombies even try to catch moths?

"Stop it, Percy! Shut your mouth! What's wrong with you?"

"Who are you?" he yelled. "Are you harassing me? Go away, go away!"

"It's me, Annabeth!" And Percy stood still.

"A… nna… beth?"

Damn, he felt like he should remember, but he couldn't. He _really _hated not remembering.

"Yes, it's me, are you blind?"

"No," he lashed back, now offended. "I just can't see you."

Percy felt like he could almost _hear _her mouth open and close in realization.

"Percy…"

"What now? I don't need pity. I'm a man, Annabeth… something. I can't see you, what do you look like? I don't remember you, I don't know you. Am I supposed to remember you?"

Annabeth sighed, and he felt her hair swish, making the wind blow across his jacket.

"We were friends when we were little, and I moved when we were eight."

Percy cringed. "I hate that year. Worst year ever. Got my fu-"

"No cursing, the teachers are going to hear you-"

"-cking head cracked open when I was eight, and now I can't remember a damn thing."

"Well," and she moved, now to his right, "you're not so off with my story. Seven years really do change people."

"What happened to you?" Percy demanded. "I don't really know, or care, but-"

"My ears," Annabeth interrupted, not caring for a word he said. "They're absolute crap. I can't hear a thing. I was twelve," she automatically said in reply to his unanswered question. "I can read lips well, I trained myself."

"How?"

"I'm choosing not to answer that," she answered briskly. "How did you end up here?"

"'New school, new opportunities,'" and he used air quotes. "Mom never skips a beat."

"Mirrors my dad's words. Hey, did you find your dad yet?"

Percy looked highly affronted. "How do you know?"

"Doesn't the word _friend _ring a bell to you?"

"No," he admitted softly. "No, but I want to. I sure as hell want to. I hope he wants to meet me, wherever he is. Needs to crawl out of his hole, that old man, not seeing his son."

Percy couldn't see, but he was sure she smiled a soft smile. He was sure she was beautiful when she smiled.

She radiated beauty.

How could he ever forget such a presence?

"It's okay, Percy, I'm here for you, even though you don't remember me anymore. When you need me, just yell at them to bring over Annabeth Chase. They can't say no to a little blind boy."

"I'm not blind!" he protested.

He already knew she disappeared.

"But thanks for the help anyways."

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><p>Annabeth Chase slouched.<p>

She wasn't a princess, she wasn't a lady. Nobody could tell her not to slouch.

She slouched because the world sucked. She didn't have a problem saying that out loud, because who would, if it was true?

She lost her first ever friend when she moved. She lost her father along with her mother now; only rarely now he talked to her. And she lost her precious hearing.

Ah, humans, so fragile and easily broken.

Annabeth wished she was an animal. Animals were tough. Why did humans have to dominate the world? Animals couldn't break.

Humans always found hope in others, always thinking there was a cure when there wasn't, and that's what she loved and hated about humans.

Sometimes, she wished they would.

They were too sensitive, too close to everything, too easy to hurt and have their hearts broken and stomped on. Only humans thought about things like that.

Being deaf was stupid. Whoever invented the word deaf was stupid. It sounded too much like death. And Annabeth Chase was nowhere near death.

She wished she could slouch her worries away.

Nobody could slouch their worries away.

It was a sad truth.

She grew used to her dad never yelling at her to come down for breakfast. Even if she could hear, he wouldn't do it. He wouldn't do anything that had to do with her mother. Annabeth was told she was a relic of her mother.

Her dad was stupid. He was so insanely human.

Nobody she knew was as human as him.

Except for Percy.

He was so naive but so hard-hearted at the same time, she was surprised he could be the same person; two sides of the same coin. Once a prankster and rebel, and the other side so delicate at the same time.

And his eyes, his eyes that could see nothing.

Annabeth couldn't say she wasn't surprised when his usually alert eyes were covered with some glassy sheen, as if coated with some kind of gel.

It was disturbing. She wanted to edge away from him, and she wanted to cry and hug him at the same time.

But he was so distant… he wasn't the old Percy Jackson she once knew.

She had no problem admitting it: over a succession of only a few years, she had a crush on him.

Annabeth just wanted to hear his voice again. She had never wanted to hear something so badly.

And when he talked to her, she wanted to hear the words from his mouth… and not just his lips moving in senseless directions.

She wanted him to say her name, not just mouth it.

Annabeth was in a dilemma.

But now… she could start anew.

She had no friends. She loved staying in the classrooms and putting her head on the desk more than playing soccer outside, or run on the grass, or gossip with others. Sometimes, she just didn't want to _live _anymore.

But Percy Jackson… she wondered if his voice was still the same, the same lilt, the same lisp when he said words with the letter s in them, the same childish laughter that seemed too low for a child and too high for a teenager.

Annabeth was sorry he couldn't see what he looked like.

He said he didn't need her pity, but she pitied him anyways.

And she was glad he couldn't see her, sometimes.

Annabeth wasn't pretty. She had untamable blonde hair, dyed an ugly color from her dad making her swim over the summer (why, she still wasn't sure) and had legs that seemed too broad and muscular for a girl. Her skin was far too tan for the term gorgeous, and her eyes were too cold for the term cool. She even had a spray of acne on her forehead that wouldn't disappear after many weeks.

Her father's friends, who sometimes came over for who-knows-what, commented on her appearance. "Her eyes are just like her mother's", "She would catch people's eye", and "She will grow up to be something special" all boomed around the walls, almost making her blood thunder in her ears.

She wanted to drown into a puddle and evaporate.

Annabeth didn't want to be a person anymore.

Percy was so unexplainably human. He had some sort of weird grace emitting from him, but an ugly something radiating from him, build up from years of hurt and rejection, and wonder and the question "why?".

He was ADHD, and had dyslexia before losing his sight altogether. It was a wonder how he didn't go insane.

Funny, seeing him again almost made her want to be human again. So she could help him stand up again. They would stand together. Two dysfunctional kids in a dysfunctional world.

Humans had too many emotions. She hated that. Humans were like cracked mirrors, never able to revert back to what they once were.

She would help him, step by step, she decided. And maybe, Annabeth would want to be human again. Maybe she would get a second chance. No rejections, no shying away, no people pointing and prodding, and always saying "I'm sorry" and "I apologize" and "pardon me."

She would be brave. Be brave for Percy.

He was stronger than she.

She had parents she knew, and his father had never seen his son's face.

Annabeth Chase had a plan.

So when school ended, she shoved her hands in her pockets and walked out of the gates without a second glance. It was all for Percy. Because, people said feelings grow stronger when someone is not there.

"I'm home… Dad," was what came from her mouth for the first time in many years, almost a decade. "Some stuff happened."

But what she really meant was, "I think I'm in love with Percy Jackson."


	2. Chapter 2

This brings me to the second chapter. I might not have as much time to update because of some activities and homework and some other random stuff. But still look out for updates. ._.

On a side note, here, Percy is more in character. I hope.

And from here emerges my fail sense of humor. But enjoy reading. :D Even one view makes a difference to me.

**I don't own Percy Jackson. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Percy was angry.

It wasn't anger, really, just a very annoying bubbling in the blood, just a little. Just a little thunder in the ears, just a little rebellious gurgle in the stomach.

Oh, how he hated school.

And it also wasn't the school at all.

It was a chilly day in the Long Island Sound, he reminded himself. He hated chilly days. He didn't like jackets or sweatshirts.

Maybe it was going to rain. Although Percy loved water, he hated rain.

Even Greek seemed like a drag. He liked his old teacher better.

He looked at the black abyss before him and made a sort of defeated, distressed noise that didn't go unnoticed by the teacher, who adjusted her terrible horn-rimmed glass on her nose.

"Is there something wrong, Percy?"

He resisted the urge to curse, whether in English, or in Greek.

"No, miss," and he tried for a deliberately innocent voice, but instead turning it into a mocking tone that the teacher immediately narrowed her eyes at.

"Cheek? I think not. Detention. My, just in the first week. Remember, you do not get extra treatment, Percy Jackson."

Detention hall was even more terrible than her lectures, and hell on earth, he concluded.

Percy stumbled in with a faked hearty swagger and flung himself into the nearest seat, nearly missing it, but not quite.

"Mr. Jackson has arrived, monsieur."

"I have heard rumors about you, Percy," the teacher at front said briskly. "Heard tell you were a bundle of trouble."

"It's okay, all kids who can't see are bundles of trouble, sir."

He had hoped the "sir" had honeyed his statement, to no avail.

"Remember, you are not to talk to anybody who enters this room? Understand? Good." He straightened his suit, not waiting for a reply. "I do not want to see you again. First weeks are the worst."

Percy muttered darkly under his breath. If he knew where the teacher was exactly, he would know exactly where to kick him.

Minutes crawled on like eons, and within just twenty minutes he was scrawled over the desk and neck bent at an odd angle, trying to amuse himself (with what? he asked himself) and failing.

He hated ADHD.

So when the door slammed open again, his head merely rolled upon the desk and he turned his unseeing eyes to the doorway blearily.

"You must be Ms. Annabeth Chase, I wager?" And Percy's head popped as if someone had struck him with a stick.

He felt Annabeth's cold, hard glare radiate across the room, but he grinned despite himself. He hadn't seen her in a few days.

"Hey, Wise Girl." It was a nickname he debated on.

"Knock it off."

"I told you not to talk, Mr. Jackson."

"Pity, I like it when you call me that." Percy's grin widened, and Annabeth cracked a small smile.

"Annabeth Chase…" The teacher ignored him pointedly. "You haven't had a detention ever before, am I right? Now, what is it this time?"

"I beat up a kid," she replied smoothly. "Beat him up good."

He looked up, raising a gray eyebrow. "And why, may I ask?"

"He was saying really nasty things about my friend," and it was Percy's turn to be surprised. He wasn't aware that Annabeth had many friends, and if she did, who would make fun of them (he was scared of Annabeth, why wouldn't anybody else be?)? He wrinkled his face in what he thought was a confused expression.

"I have never seen you out of control," the teacher commented. "Why now?"

"Just because I can't hear doesn't mean I don't know they're yelling. And besides, there's no point in making fun of little blind boys."

_Me?! _

_Friend?_

The only friend he had remembered was a small boy named Grover with too many pimples for his face, his best friend, he later told Percy. He had a few classmates he was close with, Jason Grace, a blonde haired heartthrob (he still wasn't sure why), and an impish kid named Leo. A buff girl with a sissy name, Clarisse, and a set of twins he wasn't sure why he ever talked to in the first place.

And Annabeth, but he hadn't remembered her. But here she was, saying that _he_, _Percy Jackson_, the most hard to approach and probably the least popular guy in the universe, was her friend.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't giddy at the thought.

_Mom won't prod at me saying I don't have a friend anymore. _

His mind zoomed with the possibilities.

A funny question popped up in his mind.

_When I was little… did I ever… like Annabeth? Like… more than a friend? Like… a crush? _

You didn't need to know what someone looked like to have a crush on them, he realized. Just their presence; looks didn't matter.

So he stared into the blank void where he thought she was, just so he knew she was there.

It was stupid, he knew it, but he felt vulnerable.

For the first time, he felt like he could be hurt by something.

Percy thought back to his Greek teacher, her obvious hatred of him, the kids who Annabeth beat up, the detention teacher. He couldn't see a thing, but he could feel everything: the harsh gapes, the wrinkled brows, the scurried whispers.

He felt he built a shell around himself after he had lost his sight. He felt like it was a shield to protect himself from reality. And now, he chose to shatter it.

Annabeth was there for him, he knew it. And he sure as hell wasn't going to let her go.

When the bell rang again, he sprang from his seat and sped out the door, surprised he didn't bump into the frame. He was waiting to get out of there. Before long, he was caught up by Annabeth.

"Hey, you don't give me a thank you?"

"The feeling's mutual. You don't need a thank you. Thanks for saving me, Wise Girl."

"Wise Girl?!"

"Is there anything wrong with it?" He pouted. "It's true, isn't it? Like dude, your brain is probably bigger than my stepdad's stomach, and that's saying something."

Annabeth laughed, and he withered inside. Percy wished she could hear her own laugh.

"What do I call you, then?" she asked, still with a stupid smirk on her face. "Seaweed Brain? Seems like _your _head is full of it." Annabeth stuck out her tongue in a grotesque fashion. "Water boy."

"I prefer Seaweed Brain, if you don't mind." Percy kicked a pebble. "Doesn't have the word 'blind' or 'eyes' in it."

"Yeah, and Wise Girl doesn't have 'ears' or 'deaf' either."

"Life sucks."

"Agreed."

They lapsed into a period of comfortable silence, shuffling the leaves underfoot and feeling the wind flash by when cars sped past them. Feeling was one of the only things they both shared.

"I sound like a stalker," Percy piped up, "but where do you live now?"

"Here."

"Way to be precise. Where here?"

Annabeth pointed into the clearing of trees. "Ah, you can't see that. But north of here. Just a little. Continue down the road and make a left, and it's the first house on the-"

"'Kay, got it."

"What?"

"Don't friends visit each other, or have I been gone from the human world for too long?"

"Won't be a surprise, you practically live with the fish anyways," which earned a squawk of protest from Percy.

"This place is way too polluted to be clean water to swim with, you don't think I can't smell the stench? I might not see the garbage, but I sure as heck can smell it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… just hope my dad lets you in…he's too cooped up in his room to really care, but he really cracks down on every visitor. Maybe he'll throw a hissy fit, I don't know. I haven't seen an adult throw a hissy fit."

"Well, I sure haven't either."

"That is lame, Percy."

"Maybe he'll froth at the mouth."

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain."

"As you wish, Wise Girl."

"Yeah, even though the idea is entertaining, I'm not sure I want to see my dad froth at the mouth. It's quite unnerving when you mention it."

"No problem, I live for unnerving."

"I told you to shut your mouth, Percy Jackson!"

Silence settled in between them again when Percy turned his nose in the other direction, and so did Annabeth, and they walked in tranquility except for the quiet huffs of their breath and the steady kicking of shoe soles on the concrete.

It was a short while after Percy started to whistle amiably when he heard Annabeth halt. "Here already? Wow."

He felt her shift. "Yeah, it's really not that far away. Where you heading?"

Percy spun around blindly. "Something within the radius of where I'm turning my hands, which is to say, I'm not sure right now. I usually ride home, so I'm really stuck now."

Annabeth shuffled through her backpack. "You know, you could just ask me for a phone, it's not like it's going to blow up."

"After you say it, I'm almost certain it will."

He felt her icy stare, and he complied.

"Number?" she asked wearily. "You can't see them, moron."

"Oh yeah…"

There was an awkward pause while Percy waited for his mom to pick up, and cringed in shame at his lack of brain usage.

"Percy? Where are you? Are you alright? Anybody hurt you?" There was a fast burble and he held the phone away from his ear, hearing words spitting out like fire.

"Whoa, calm down, Mom-"

"I can't!" he heard the hysterical voice. "Not where I can't see you-"

"Relax, I can't see anything myself-"

"But you must-"

"So, yeah," he said loudly, "I'm on- what street is this? Okay, whatever, it's the one that's near the trees…? Yeah, that isolated place outside school, YES, I have a jacket, so yeah, see you later, you'll come, right? Bye."

Percy shoved the phone towards Annabeth, who pocketed it with a raised eyebrow.

"That, is _not _how you make a phone call. It's no wonder, your nickname _is_ Seaweed Brain for a reason."

"Stop that!"

"You want me to wait with you until she comes?"

Percy shifted the weight on one foot to the other tentatively. "Uh, no, I think it's okay. Your dad… he'll-"

"He's not going to worry," she muttered. "He doesn't really know when I come home, anyways. But okay. Make it back safely."

She left without another word, making Percy flap his mouth in a very odd fashion when she departed.

He made a three hundred sixty degree turn when he felt the headlight shine onto his body. "Ugh, Mom…"

"Who were you waiting with?" Sally asked shrilly. "There was somebody, I know it, you couldn't have come here alone… get in here, Percy…"

His ears perked up. If his eyes could brighten, they would have, he thought.

"Oh yeah, remember that girl Annabeth Chase from way back when? She's at this school now! I don't really remember her, but she says I was friends with her, so-"

"Oh, Annabeth!" the tone of his mother's voice gained its original shine. "I remember her, curly blond hair, the most alluring set of gray eyes… she was a looker, I could tell."

"Really?" he sounded amused. "I would have never imagined her to have blond hair, really-"

"That's not very nice, Percy," Sally chided. "And I know exactly what you're thinking."

"Aw, come on, Mom, it's not like I can see! Besides, she's still cool, that's what matters right?" He dragged out the last word. "I'm making friends, you see?"

"Good for you! Now, I can be assured that you aren't hiding in the bathroom all day long! You used to do that."

"I know, Mom…"

"So, any girls you like?"

Percy almost spit out his water, the one he took from the cup holder beside him. "Uh… I don't think so…"

Damn, she almost found out…

"No one?" she asked skeptically. "I would have thought-"

"Nope," he said quickly. "Nope."

It was partially the truth, maybe. He used to never believe in love at first sight (this wasn't first "sight", but he could ignore that).

He didn't _like_ Annabeth. It went way beyond that.

She was cool. She wanted to be friends with him. She was funny. She was nice, sort of. She liked him for who he was, and not just his looks (something that made him feel odd; he had no idea really what he looked like) but for his plain old dorky self.

And even more, she was beautiful. She always told him she was ugly. He didn't care. She was internally beautiful. She was beautiful in every way. Screw looks, he thought.

He was almost certain he had a crush on her when they were little. Like he could bet his life on it.

Crushes don't really go away, huh.

It wasn't a crush anymore.

"Nope, I don't like anybody," he repeated again. "Nobody at all. Even Annabeth, she's just a friend."

"As you say, Percy…"

He didn't _like _her, he told himself. Maybe an infatuation, at the most.

A small, eager, _hopeful_ part of his brain told him he loved her.

And maybe he did.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the late update. There's been a lot going on at school, and (writer's block).

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson, or the characters in Percy Jackson. If I did, The Blood of Olympus will be filled with Percabeth fluffu. **

Truth be told, I sort of wanted Jeyna to happen... (unpopular opinion) But Jasper is okay too, I guess.

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><p>"Hey, Jackson, can I tell you a secret?"<p>

Annabeth never called Percy by his last name except for when she was telling him something serious.

"Yeah, what is it, Annabeth?"

"When I die, can you throw me into the Hudson River?"

Percy whirled around and almost knocked his head on a tree. "You will never talk about death again, okay? I am not going to think of that. That is stupid, you're not going to die, you're going to live forever and ever, okay? Don't ever say that again. It's dumb. That's retarded, more than my bud Leo in elementary school."

"It's just a thought," she argued. "Besides, we're all going, you know it, Percy Jackson. Also," she sighed, "it's for my mom."

Percy's hair seemed to stand up straight, a feat Annabeth used to think was physically impossible.

"Your… mom?"

"Yeah, but it's not like you'll remember…"

"Tell me," he insisted, a determined look coming to his face. "Tell me."

The glassy sheen that covered the myriad of greens in his eyes was more prominent than ever so she swallowed the sad lump in her throat.

"She died," she said stiffly. "Went crazy. She was insane. Split between two personalities, bipolar. But one thing remained in the one small sane part of her: she was to become one with the Hudson. She loved Greek mythology and stuff like that, fascinated by the nature spirits and such. She hated the Hudson. She wanted it to be clean and beautiful. The only remnant of a dirty world."

"What about...your dad?" He didn't want to say it, and screwed his face up in utter despair of being reprimanded.

Annabeth did not pay notice. "Locked himself up. Didn't want to take a look at me. Thought I would go the same way as my mom, I guess. Her name was Athena. Greek goddess of battle strategy and war. Turns out she wasn't too great in the end as the legends say." She clenched her fists. "But she was my mom. And I loved her. And he has no right to treat me anything less."

"Annabeth…" Percy started, and she turned almost emotionless eyes on him, something she knew he could tell right away. She hadn't cried for a very long time.

"Thanks, but your pity isn't needed," she replied. "There's no beauty in a shit world. Until something is cleaned and polished and made valuable again, there will be a sliver of hope."

Percy gripped her wrist and she turned in surprise. She couldn't hear his voice, but she could see the determination etched between the angles of his face.

"I can't see a thing," he said. "But I know that there is something beautiful out there."

Annabeth scoffed coldly and turned a mocking face towards him, even though he couldn't see it.

"And what is that? Enlighten me."

"You," he said simply. "I have no idea what the hell you look like. But I know you're beautiful, Annabeth." She saw the red creep up his face. "There. I've said it. Say I'm weird. Sappy."

She wouldn't ever admit that her stomach lurched and spun and her heart raced and her mind ran, and for the first time in ages, Annabeth felt euphoric.

_Euphoria_. That was the word to describe it, she thought.

"Percy…"

A frown settled into his face. "What? Nobody told you that before? I don't know about you, beauty's not just about looks, see. If I could see, I might be blinded." He coughed, face becoming darker by the second. "Lame joke."

"Percy…"

"What, Annabeth?" he demanded. "Can you say something?"

She tried to sound surprised. "Sorry, I… nobody called me that before." Annabeth fiddled with her fingers. "It was trouble, or mean, or smart aleck, or something of the sort. Always second to my mother. Never beautiful."

"That reminds me of something," Percy said. He stared at the ground. "Do you… know Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"Full kennel what?"

"Fullmetal Alchemist," he repeated. "You know," he motioned oddly with his hands. "Anime."

"I'm sorry," she replied. "But I don't really watch-"

Percy's green eyes narrowed. "Well, if you don't watch it, you can read it," he said stubbornly. "It's something that my bud Leo recommended to me when I was a loser back in grade school. To keep my mind off of depressing things."

"Pardon me, Percy," Annabeth said, trying to keep her voice from quivering, "but you can't… uh… visualize…?"

"No, he was a good guy, Leo Valdez. He let me listen and he'll explain to me. Efficient. It was amazing. It gave a few good knocks to my head."

"Yeah… get to the point."

"There's something beautiful in the world, everywhere," Percy responded seriously. "Don't say the world isn't beautiful. It's not perfect, only a real tard thinks that's true. But it's always there for us. It's trying its best." He cleared his throat. "I'm trying my best. I… want to be a… person?"

"You are a person, moron," Annabeth said good-naturedly, shoving him.

"Like… without problems…"

"You don't _have _problems. _I _have issues." Her voice softened. "Uh… thanks for trying. I should try too. I never try hard enough."

"You're trying right now," Percy insisted. "Really hard. I can tell."

"I like you, Percy," she blurted. "You're different. You believe in me. You think I'm beautiful when you don't even know who I am. You trust me. You treat me like a person."

"You _are_ a person, a beautiful person," he said. "I like you too. You're interesting." He smiled, and her heart gave a damn _annoying _flutter. "You're one of my only friends. That's something."

There was a somewhat weird moment when Percy did not open his mouth to speak, and Annabeth felt oddly vulnerable and foolish.

"This is getting really awkward," Percy spoke her thoughts. "I never get philosophical like that unless something's really bugging me. And this is bugging me!"

The atmosphere turned back to normal. Annabeth didn't really mind.

She liked Percy both ways. Jackson, and Seaweed Brain.

He was so…

_Percy_.

He wasn't a storybook hero, but he had to fight battles of his own. He wasn't Prince Charming, who could win every fight. But he fought, and he damn well tried hard to win every single one.

She decided she wanted to help him be victorious after every battle.

_Athena_. Like her mother, who carried victory on her palm.

First time Annabeth ever wanted to be like anything that had to do with her mother.

"Hey, uh, Percy, if you're really into that anime stuff…" Annabeth looked coyly at the ground. "My mom was obsessed with Death Note… when she was… you know… alive. She said it got her thinking."

"Hey, I've heard of that before," he said. "A lot of people said it was good, but frankly, it creeped the living hell out of me, hear?"

She shrugged. "That happens. But it's cool. It got me thinking. I wanted to be like L. Smart. He won every battle. Except death," and she muttered it at the end. "Everybody has to die someday."

"Now we're running in circles." Percy made a "keh" sound, or so she assumed. "I don't want to talk about dying. Dying sucks."

"Yeah…" she pondered. "L was my first crush."

Percy almost knocked his chin into her spinning around. "L?" he said faintly. "The slouchy guy with the bags?"

"You can put it that way." Annabeth sighed and tossed her blonde locks away. Funny, she never thought they were that brown, almost too brown to be blonde. "But I like you better." She grinned lopsidedly. "You have flaws. You're not smart (here, she ignored his angry squawk), and you're not always on top of things. You don't see the world like he does."

He made another impatient gesture. "If I could-"

"A world," she interrupted him slowly. "It's a beautiful world, Percy Jackson."

A content look creeped onto his face. "Yeah… yeah it is. Thanks, Wise Girl. You're amazing."

Despite that, she blushed.

"Thank _you_," she whispered. "You're even more amazing."

"I'm not going to argue, otherwise this will turn into a drama."

"You're ruining it!"

She could have almost sworn…

"It's getting late," she said immediately, trying not to make it as _stupidly_ awkward as it was already. She felt like a fool.

Annabeth came to a conclusion. She simply sucked at romance.

She remembered a friend from school, that moved recently (leaving her alone without a social life, she thought internally, but the more sane side of Annabeth waved it off). Piper McLean. She claimed she hated the prospect of dating until she got together with someone. Then, she had grasped almost everything that romance had to offer. She was a good girlfriend.

She remembered another girl who had transferred away, Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. She was the complete opposite of Piper, who was bubbly and a bit more happy. Reyna was, if Annabeth dare utter it, almost like a glass statue, beautiful, but unmoving. She had failed in love too little, but too hard. Reyna had never hoped to love another again.

Annabeth cringed. She loved Piper's boyfriend, an old childhood buddy of hers. She felt bad for Reyna.

She didn't want anybody feeling any sort of pity. Her father was dead. Her mother was nowhere to be found. Her sister was gone. No sign of affection or care had dare come in Reyna's path.

Annabeth wanted to be strong. Now, she was a mopey child who wanted Percy to at least _notice _her, (which he already did, but it was beside the point). If Percy was ever taken from her, though, she would've done some stupid things that Reyna wouldn't even find the words for.

But it was okay, for now.

She was okay for now, for being a girl.

For being a human.

For being Annabeth Chase, not Annabeth McLean, or Annabeth Ramirez-Arellano.

She existed. She had a life to live.

"Yeah," Percy's voice jarred her out of her reverie. "I can tell. The light is shining, right? I feel it on my face."

A heartstring twanged.

"Uh huh," she replied. "Not bad, are you?"

He puffed his chest out. "Of course not. I'm amazing."

A bead of sweat rolled down her neck. "Of course, whatever you say. But yeah, you want me take you home?"

"I'll try to go home by myself, but thanks for asking," Percy responded eagerly. "I wanna try to do it by myself, and if I get lost, it'll be cool, right? Like, there's so many things that are around this place, like that weird crunchy sound when I walk past three minutes from here-"

"Those are leaves, Percy-"

"And that 'chi-chi' sound when I go around about five minutes from here-"

"Those are birds, Percy, but-"

"But what?" he protested irritably. "I'm talking 'bout all this cool stuff and you say 'but?' What now, Chase?"

"It's not- I mean," Annabeth hastily added, "they're cool, I guess, for you. But if you need to hitch a ride home, just call me."

"You're fifteen, Annabeth."

She snorted. "Whatever. Walk. If you're dead tired and you feel like your bags are going to cover your whole entire eye, I'll piggyback you if I need to. I'm not a weakling, you know."

"But-"

"Drop it, Seaweed Brain. It's not going to hurt you."

"I'm heavy," he said.

"I'm not that kind of girl who always stays inside. I'm not out of shape, you know."

"I think I'm fat," Percy said as an answer. "I don't know, actually, but I think I'm fat."

"You're not fat!" she squawked. "You're far from fat!"

"So can I leave? My mom's going to squabble over me when I get home."

"Yeah. See you."

Before he could turn around, she spun herself and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt.

And she kissed him on the cheek. Annabeth Chase kissed Percy Jackson. Skin to skin contact with Percy Jackson.

For once, she was glad he couldn't see her face flame up. Percy was rooted.

"'Kay, bye, see you," was her last hasty farewell when she darted away.

It was a trick of the light, she thought, when he put his hand to his face and walked away as if in a haze.

"Annabeth…" was all he said, before he rounded the corner and lumbered off.

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><p>Whoops, fillerish chapter. Philosophy, and random stabs at humor. Ugh. My brain isn't working.<p>

**Note: **I just had to put in the anime references :)


	4. Chapter 4

Back again with another installment. Sorry, I've been busy with school and such.

On another note, I AM IN AN UTTER DEPRESSION. NARUTO WAS AMAZING. (I couldn't bear not putting it in this chapter) I really couldn't believe it ended. If you haven't lived through a fandom ending, you are lucky. Naruto has taught me so much. It was so inspiring, and moving, and I'm happy to walk with Naruto on his journey. If you haven't tried reading or watching it, I recommend it.

(Especially, people who like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson :))

In this chapter, a sneak peek of Leo. It's another fillerish chapter. Explaining the situation. Next chapter will have some more stuff. More interesting stuff than this chapter, anyways, in my opinion.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson, and if I did, I would die happy**

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><p>"Percy," Mrs. Jackson narrowed her usually kindly eyes (or so Percy assumed, kindly). "Where have you been, may I ask?" Her voice dropped to almost a dangerous whisper, almost making the hair at the back of his neck stand. "Your face is red, my dear. What have you been doing? Running?"<p>

"Something like that," he muttered.

"Tell me the truth, Percy Jackson," she commanded. "What happened?"

He shuffled his feet.

"I went on a walk," he replied swiftly. Not a lie, he knew, but not exactly the truth either. "Just a walk. With Annabeth," he added after a split second. "That's all. I found my way home. By myself. There."

"I'm just going to buy it," she sighed. "You're not going to tell me, are you? By the way, is there something going on between you two?"

Percy stopped in his tracks. His brain still fizzed from his lack of direction.

"No," he finally forced. "Nothing."

"It's okay to tell me," his mother urged. "I can help you. You don't have to avoid me, just because you're a teenager now."

"It's not that," he assured her. "I… there's nothing, 'kay?"

He couldn't see her, but he felt her eyes on him. Almost like a laser, probably, if he ever got looked through with lasers.

"Fine," she sighed. "Just… just stay safe, okay?"

Percy nodded to the direction her voice came from, or rather, he might have nodded off to something in the middle of nowhere. He didn't really care at the moment.

He trudged to his room and jumped onto his bed, making a nasty creaking sound he was glad his mother couldn't hear from the first floor.

He squished the pillow into his face, trying to rid it of heat, to no success.

"Am I going to show up to school like this tomorrow?" he asked himself, now panicked. "Mom said my face was red…"

"It sure as hell is."

"What the fu-"

"Calm down, bro. You just butt dialed me, Mr. Jackson. Been on for a minute or so. Just didn't talk to see your reaction. But if I could really, my laugh would have powered me to Jupiter."

Percy rummaged through his back pocket. His face contorted when he found the phone hot.

"Are you Leo? Leo Valdez? I can tell, your voice is still annoying as ever. Puberty hasn't done you well, I can make that much out. You can't see me-"

"Yeah, well, if your mom says your face is red, it better be red."

"How could I have butt dialed you?" Percy yelled furiously into the speaker. "I can't even see where all the numbers are!"

"Maybe your eyes can't see, but your butt can."

"You are such an insufferable-"

He heard a funny scratching sound from Leo's side. "Well, you probably forgot that we exchanged numbers. I mean, it was sixth grade, everybody forgets stuff that happens in sixth grade. Like, it's not first grade, or eighth grade, or twelfth grade. And besides, sixth grade was boring as heck."

Percy grunted. He didn't want to go there.

"So, bro, how's school going? Picked up any girls yet? In elementary and middle, you were pretty popular, right?"

"I _was_?"

"Why else? Would they be whispering about me? Good things about me?"

"But…" Percy protested. "Annabeth said I was far from fat...but isn't being too skinny really bad too? And aren't my eyes really ugly-ish? Like aren't a lot of blind people's eyes look kinda blankish? Or at least some? Or is it just mine? Because I think I'm really ugly, I swear. I don't know why anybody'll like me, you dig? Some people say I look really good, but aren't they trying to make me feel better, since I can't even see myself? Like I'm annoying, almost as annoying as you, but not quite, and I'm totally ADHD, so I can't shut up, like right now, and I'm dumb, and stupid, according to Annabeth, anyways, she always says that, and now she calls me Seaweed Brain, nickname's kinda legit, though, I gotta admit, and the rest of my class-"

"Whoa dude," Leo's voice piped from the other side of the line. "You're totally ranting right now. And Annabeth Chase? That real scary blonde girl that was like, really smart? I remember her clearly, for some reason. I think she beat me up before."

"She doesn't beat people up anymore," he said. "Except for this one kid, apparently, she said that I was her friend and beat him up for talking shit about me-"

"Don't let your mom hear you say that," Leo mock whispered. "Still Almighty Annabeth, huh? That was my nickname for her way back when," he amended hastily. "So do you like her?"

Percy stuck out his arm and pulled the phone away from his ear. His heart was beating like an erratic drum.

_I think I'm gonna spaz out…_

"Uh...I-"

"So, yes, right?"

"Maybe."

"So, yes, right?"

"Possibly."

"So, yes, right?"

"Yes," he gritted, finally. "What do you want?"

"Everything!" Leo's voice rose an octave, or so it seemed to Percy. "What did you do? She like you back? She reject you to homecoming or something?"

"I was with you at homecoming," Percy reminded him. "We were the only ones alone."

"Why did you have to remember that?" Leo said. "That was embarrassing as heck! Number one on the list of ways to be forever alone. Except you're totally beating it right now."

"I'm not," Percy sighed. "Do I damn look like I am?"

He could almost hear Leo slapping a hand on his forehead. "Well, for one, you can't see yourself-"

"Whatever," Percy hissed. "Nice talking to you anyways."

"What a great way to end this conversation," Leo's voice was garbled. "To put me in such an ample amount of pain."

"Apparently, your definition of ample is different than mine."

"Well, good luck with your girl, I gotta catch a new episode. Love hurts, Percy, remember that. I've been rejected enough times to know. Besides, it's in all the movies. When two dysfunctional kids like each other, it never turns out good."

His phone grew hot and beeped, and Percy stared into the empty void.

_It's not going to end in tragedy, is it? _

"Hey...Wise Girl. You're there right?"

Annabeth turned. "How do you know? I didn't say anything."

"Your presence. You smell better than a lot of girls. I think my nose is going to burn from the perfume one day."

She laughed, a big laugh he relaxed at when he heard it.

"You're weird, Percy."

"I get that one too many times."

She quieted. "So, what did you call me over for? It must be important, knowing you."

Percy fidgeted. "Um, yeah, it might be. No, actually, it is. Well, to me anyways, maybe not you, but…" He shifted his gaze to the ground. "Uh...about the-"

Her face immediately turned hot. He could tell. She clapped her hands to her cheeks when it did. The sound gave it away.

"No," she said quickly. "It was nothing, I was out of my mind."

His brain bounced in confusion, then deflated in realization.

"Uh, it's not about that, though." He felt his own face grow warm. Percy wanted to slap himself, but not in fear of losing his ego. "M-my birthday is going to be Saturday, so you want-"

"Yes," was her reply, almost like it was natural. "Anything to get away from home. And anywhere with you," she added, but it must have been his ears playing a stupid trick on him, he thought.

"So...it's at my house, you know where that is, right?"

He could almost feel her roll her eyes. "You moron, of course."

"Then, six-thirty is okay…?

"Any time is okay," Annabeth said slowly. "Just any time to get out of that hellhole and have some fun with you, it's all okay. I love hanging out with you."

Percy felt giddy.

He knew he was stupid, so he waved it off.

He couldn't pay attention in class, more so than usual, anyways. Some part of his mind wanted to squirm out and dance.

"Mr. Jockhole," Mr. D reprimanded twenty minutes into history. "Would I kindly ask you to remove yourself from my presence. Your entire face is more unfocused than usual." After turning his drunken gaze on Percy, Percy heard the familiar flapping noise of his arms when he turned back to the board. How he managed to remember events from the past and not their names, was always a mystery for him.

"Detention is what I mean," Mr. D said nonchalantly. "Go now."

"Detention is after school," Percy blurted.

"Thirty more minutes for that," Mr. D cut across him like a knife through butter, and Percy felt a flicker of impatience. "This is my class, I have my own rules. Off you go."

Percy kicked the wall outside the class, which made Mr. D stop. He was sure the ratty old man would come out waving a club.

He bolted.

He wished Annabeth was there.

Or not, otherwise his body would explode.

Percy felt around in the abyss before he found himself a small niche in the side of the building. He remembered Annabeth told him about it once. She hid there when she thought her class was getting too dumb, according to her, anyways.

He crouched with his back to the open and put his mouth to the speaker of his phone.

"Call Leo Valdez," he enunciated slowly. "Leo Valdez."

He froze in his tracks, and hearing no footsteps, he shoved the phone against his ear.

"Leo, can you hear me?" he whispered violently, almost. "Pick up, pick up."

"Ditching school, are we?"

"Shut your mouth, dumbass," Percy hissed. "You hypocrite."

"Nup," Leo popped the "p." "We have a long weekend, bro. Reading stuff on the computer for fun." There was a muffled sound. "DAMN IT! MY LIFE! STOP! PERCY, DON'T TALK TO ME! I can't believe I woke up to this."

"Shut up!" Percy seethed. "They're all going to hear you! And what's going on?"

"Naruto ended," Leo said thickly. "Bye. Don't talk to me. I need to mope, in peace, I would prefer. I am in a considerable amount of pain and sorrow."

Percy twitched. "Look, Leo, this is important-"

"Naruto is important!" Leo protested. "I've been following it since I was like six! Nine years of my precious life!"

"I would argue against precious."

"Hey!"

"Just kidding, you should know," Percy replied impatiently. "But anyways, so Annabeth-"

"The ending was so bittersweet." Leo's voice was growing even thicker. "But fine, tell me. Let's give each other some therapy."

"I think I love Annabeth," Percy said, and he immediately felt like he dropped a bomb.

Leo took a breath. "Look, Percy, go for it. That's all I gotta say. If you keep on groveling, is she gonna come to you? Nuh uh. Hinata wooed Naruto in the end, let's see if you can do it."

"Do you think I know who they are?"

"You should," Leo finished with an airy tone. "It's amazing, that is."

"Help me, Leo," Percy said. "She kissed me."

"She WHAT?" Percy winced at the sound of his voice. It rose two octaves higher than usual, which almost burned his earbuds to a crisp.

"Shut up, Leo, you're going to make me deaf on top of blind!"

"That's what you get for calling me so much! Are you that desperate to hang out with me?"

"It's my second time, moron!"

"And then, you did what?" Leo pressed. "Did you sprint for the opportunity? Or what? Tell me everything."

"She told me it was a mistake," Percy shifted his non-seeing gaze to the ground. "I was hoping she was kidding. Then she acted like nothing happened."

"Dang, you got one of them hard ones," Leo whistled. "You have work to do. Give her another opportunity."

"Leo," Percy closed his eyes and opened them in a frustrated manner. "Does it look like I can flirt?"

"You gotta try," Leo insisted. "Your birthday's coming soon. She's invited. I'm psychic, I know. You wouldn't miss a chance to hang out with her, I get it. And don't try to be buff or manly. Be yourself. She kissed you already. Another one is bound to come. There's never just one kiss, you know. You're all gonna be so giddy and happy, it's going to happen, confess, bam, match made. Harder than it sounds. Unless she approaches you first, which I doubt, but anything can happen."

"How, exactly?" Percy whined. He sounded desperate, which he hated himself directly after for.

"You sound desperate and pathetic, but I do too, so I'll say this. If you really love her, show her that. Not physically, we're trying to stay pure for longer. She won't ever know if you never show her."

The line went dead, and Leo left Percy feeling even more stupid than when the day started out.


	5. Chapter 5

So here I am again. Happy early Thanksgiving y'all.

Thank you for the reviews, I really appreciate them.

Say, not many people write with Leo as an anime geek, eh? ;) Just a new twist on everybody's favorite Leo.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

* * *

><p>Truth be told, Annabeth was nervous.<p>

Her hands sweated badly, and she wiped them on her jeans. When she rang the doorbell, she quickly rubbed the moist sheen that coated the metal from her perspiration. She would not let anybody see that.

A kindly woman that could only be Percy's mother opened the door.

"Annabeth!" was all she said, and Annabeth swore she jumped back a little, and to make up for her mistake, she hastily stepped forward.

"Mrs. Jackson, nice to meet you," Annabeth said between her teeth, and shook her hand, only to wipe it on her pants again in fear that they were way too clammy. They probably were, because Percy's mother replied with, "No need to be nervous, you're the first one here. I'll tell Percy it's you."

She rushed to the stairs. "Percy, it's-!"

There was an odd, terribly awkward, silence in which his mother stayed at the foot of the stairs, obviously hearing his answer.

"That's quite enough, isn't it?" she said loudly. Mrs. Jackson turned apologetically to Annabeth. "I'm sorry, he's kind of-"

"No, it's alright," Annabeth assured. "I hang out with him everyday, you see." She couldn't hear what he replied with, but she assumed it was something redundant.

She saw him bound down the stairs, and he flashed her a smile, and much to her displeasure, she blushed. Annabeth bit her lip hard.

"What's up, Wise Girl?"

"Happy birthday, Seaweed Brain," she nodded to him. "What a way to greet me."

"The others should come soon," he trailed. "Leo Valdez, that anime geek, is coming too. I still don't know why I invited him, but just so you don't feel like I'm a complete booger without any friends."

"Percy…" his mother said, in what Annabeth could tell was a warning tone.

"_Mother_," Percy drawled.

"Just because you're turning sixteen doesn't mean you can talk back to me," she responded. "I can already tell you that I'm still in charge of you until you get into college, mister."

She marched up the stairs and Percy cast a funny look (in the opposite direction) at where he thought she was.

"So…"

"Hey, I wanna show you something," Percy piped up. "Come on."

She followed him up the stairs. He obviously knew where he was going.

"So," he clapped his hands. "I live next to a window, don't I."

Annabeth looked to the right. "Yeah, and no. It's a patio. There's a sliding door. It's probably better that you don't go out there."

"I'm dumb, but I'm not that dumb."

"So, what did you call me up for?" She started to get annoyed, and hated herself for it.

"Can you...tell me what's outside?"

Her gray eyes narrowed and widened, almost in involuntary instinct. "Outside...like what? Why now?"

Percy took a breath. "I heard...something odd outside. Like a scream."

Annabeth's stomach lurched.

She shoved the door open with one arm and felt the wind blow her hair around her face. Her mouth dropped open.

"Percy-" she started.

"What?" he asked, turning around. What is it?"

"You...you live close to the Hudson," she said in shock. "I hear it from here. I _know _it. I _feel _it from here already. How come you never…"

"Annabeth…" Percy started hesitantly. "You _can't _hear."

"I can," she insisted. "I hear my mother."

"Annabeth," he began again, and this time, he stood up. "I don't know what you're talking about but-"

"But you can see too, can't you?" she pried. "Sometimes, don't you just see something flash across your eyes? I can hear things, not voices, or sounds. I can hear things, many things. They just dance in and out of my mind."

Annabeth could tell he stopped.

"Yeah," he began. "I see everything. Not people, or objects. Just...things." Percy looked down. "I feel like I can see myself sometimes. Just a scrawny kid in the middle of a fricking big ass world. With hair too long and eyes too big and helpless with limp arms and stuff. That's what I feel like all the time. I can see it."

"Percy…" and even if she couldn't hear it, she knew her voice cracked. She didn't really have to.

"I know," he answered from the side of his mouth. "I know, it hurts a lot. But you know, two dysfunctional teenagers that can't see or can't hear anything can make a difference, if you really think about it."

Their conversation was most likely interrupted by the doorbell, because Percy jumped from the bed and smoothed his shirt down. "That must be Leo, the bugger. And…" he paused. "Calypso. Don't know why she's here either, but my mom invited her…"

She loitered on the stairs and fixed her eyes on Percy's retreating figure out the door, itching to hear what he was talking about to them. Annabeth peeked over the railing and raised an eyebrow at the company.

She remembered Leo, slightly. She didn't know Percy meant _this _Leo. On the other hand, Calypso was a bubbly looking girl in a floaty-ish dress that Annabeth would have gagged at if she ever had to wear it. She had a plait that grew down her back, making Annabeth tug absent-mindedly at her own hair. For no reason whatsoever, she deducted, a small flare of jealousy erupted in the pit of her stomach when Calypso gave Percy a hug, in which he returned enthusiastically (or maybe it was because he had friends, and she didn't; she wasn't very sure, but she thought he didn't know why she was there in the first place).

"Um," Percy motioned helplessly to Annabeth on the stairs. "That's Annabeth. She's a...friend."

_A friend_. Annabeth clenched a fist and forced a tight lipped smile. "Yeah, that's me."

"Hey," Leo began, "I remember you!"

Annabeth halted. "Yeah, I remember you too, sort of."

"You're strong," Leo said. "You put more in that fist than I put in my stomach."

"Percy's friend?" Calypso cut across the odd conversation. "I don't remember seeing you before."

Annabeth felt a stab of annoyance. "Well, maybe because I'm at his new school, perhaps?"

"But Leo knows you."

"Chance encounters," Annabeth replied briefly. "There. What else do you want to ask me?"

"Annabeth-" Percy warned.

She suddenly felt as if washed through a tide called guilt. "Whoop, Seaweed Brain, tongue slipped."

He opened his mouth and closed it, but shrugged. "Happens," he said, and Annabeth let out a breath.

"Seaweed Brain?" Calypso asked. "Where did that come from?"

"It's a nickname," Annabeth responded, closing and opening her eyes slowly. "His brain is clogged with stuff, you see."

Calypso laughed, or Annabeth thought she did. "I know what you mean. Remember that one time way back when when you-"

"So, Percy," Annabeth interrupted loudly over Calypso's enthusiastic chatter. "Say, you know where the bathroom is?"

"Right-o," he whistled. "Down the hall, lady."

Annabeth nodded to him as a sign of thanks, and before disappearing behind the door, she stole a dirty glance at Calypso.

"Get a grip, moron," she hissed, knocking her head with her fists. "It's not like he likes her or anything...I'm getting stupid ideas…"

She looked at herself soundly in the mirror. "Stop it, Chase," she reprimanded herself. "You're gonna get wrinkles like this." Annabeth pulled her cheeks with her fingers. "Envy...is unacceptable."

And so she walked out of the bathroom and into the dining room in which Percy stared expectantly toward the smell of his cake, blue for whatever reason. There was nothing new; he was always tempted even at the mention of just a morsel of food.

"You aren't going to have cake first," Mrs. Jackson reminded him. "That's extremely unhealthy, you know that."

"Is it blue?" he asked stubbornly. "It has to be blue, you know that, Mom."

Annabeth saw the air flare out from her nostrils. "Yes," she said tiredly. "Of course it is."

"I'll just finish the sushi real fast then," Percy said. "Then I'll get the cake."

Annabeth soon realized it was not exactly "sushi," but just plain rice wrapped in a sliver of seaweed. Nothing more, nothing less, and she frowned. The rice fell out with a thunk onto her plate.

"You don't get much of this stuff around the shops here," Percy's mother provided as an explanation. "Anything that has to do with the ocean pleases him, but this was the closest thing they had."

"I don't feel comfortable eating out your brains," Annabeth told Percy.

"Haha, you're so funny," he replied dryly.

The sushi suddenly tasted a little better.

"It's eight," Leo said. "Presents?" He smirked. "I know you'll love mine, you won't even need to see it to know it is amazing."

"And why is that?" Percy asked, not paying attention to where he was sitting, and crashed onto the floor. "Damn, that's bruising."

"Because I gave it to you."

"What a great, legit reason, Leo. So much basis."

"I know, right?"

It turned out it was a Fullmetal Alchemist thing, in which Annabeth would have figured out by the time she saw it. She scrutinized it, and deducted that she saw it in her mother's drawer once, and not knowing what it was, she shoved it back in. Something else for her mind to process.

Calypso's was a speaker-like gadget, in which Percy struggled to have his phone connected to. "That way, you don't have to see it, you just hear it and feel it inside of you," was her explanation, and Annabeth hated to say it, but it was a pretty darn good one.

After a truckload of more presents from his mother, Percy turned to Annabeth. Funny he knew where she was without her speaking or moving.

"What did you get, Wise Girl?"

"Don't tell me you didn't get him anything," Leo said. "He's going to be heartbroken."

Percy looked as if he were going to make a move to punch him, but decided on otherwise.

"I did," she said slowly. Her hands started to sweat, profusely, again. "But I need to borrow him...for it."

"Ooh," Leo crooned. "Is it what I think it is?"

Percy looked livid.

"One more word, and my fist is going up your fu-"

"Ooh, no cursing, Percy-"

"-cking mouth, and does it look like I care?"

Leo clicked his tongue. "Go on, then," he finished with a flourish. "Go on without me, if that's what you want."

Percy's hair flew and he grabbed Annabeth by the arm and dragged her outside.

"Let go, let go of me, idiot!" She angrily brushed herself off. "What was that for?"

"Uninterrupted seclusion is good for the soul." He fiddled with his hands. "So what is it? Spill it."

Annabeth wiped her palms on her jeans.

"I know it hasn't been that long since I saw you again, but I remembered you, for the longest time. I admired you, even though you would never know, or ever dream of finding out about it. I always looked up to you, even if you were an idiot, because you made me want to be better. And this is stupid, because this isn't exactly the right time or place-"

"When I say spill it, I mean spill it." His tone wasn't impatient or stubborn, but curious. "So spill it."

"I'm in love with you, Percy Jackson," she blurted, and she cursed herself inwardly, because it did not turn out the way she wanted it to. "I am so damn in love with you right now, Percy Jackson. I can't say how your voice makes me swoon, because it doesn't, and I won't know either way. I can't say how your eyes make me feel jittery, because they don't. I can't say that your charm or wit is impeccable, because it is bad, really bad, bad enough that you have as much charm as a rotting banana. But I'm still in love with you, Percy Jackson, because you make me feel like I'm worth something. Because you make me feel like if I try hard enough, I can hear something. Really. I love you more than anything, Percy Jackson, and I have enough proof for you, because I have no love to share with anybody else. I took back the love I gave to my father and my mother gave back the love I had given to her. I had my love returned by my old best friends who went away and left me, and have never returned. It hasn't been a long time, but I can say I love you, because you are Percy Jackson, and you're not perfect, and you don't have dreamy eyes, or a dreamy voice, or dreamy words. The word 'redundant' would have a picture of you next to the definition in the dictionary. You are odd, stupid, and crazy and because of that, you are the most perfect imperfect human I have ever met. You are one of the only people who have ever complimented me. I have never heard words that have a higher worth than gold, until I met you."

"So even if you don't love me, or never will, don't leave me," she finished in a small, and in her opinion, lame voice, "because I don't want to live in a world where I cannot see you, Percy Jackson, much less hear you, because that will be a living hell for me. And if I could ever hear again, I would never be happier to hear you babble on and on, because it is you, and I love you so much that I would be willing to sit next to you and hear you talk for the rest of my life." She shakily pushed her damp hair out of her eyes. "That's my present. My confession. There. You don't have to say thank you."

Percy was quiet for a long time, and Annabeth felt a twinge.

"Yeah, okay," she said, her voice almost like a croak. "It's okay if you don't say anything. I just...want you to know, so, just for-"

"Annabeth, shut up, I'm going to kiss you now," he cut across her drone, not even getting up from his position on the bench.

Her knees started to shake, and she suddenly felt very fragile. Like if a wind blew, she would be knocked to the ground.

Her heart was beating so loudly she thought her chest would suddenly spurt out blood. She watched him get closer and closer, almost like a normal boy, not a little, angry, blind boy, but Percy Jackson.

She inwardly flinched when his hand came to grasp her chin, and not because she didn't want him to.

When his lips clumsily found hers, Annabeth Chase wanted to wash away.

It wasn't electrifying, or like a firework, as other people said. It was like going on a rollercoaster and plunging into the water. Her heart almost lost control, and her mind went blank and white, and adrenaline pumped through her head. It was like standing in the middle of a thunderstorm, but not hearing the thunder at all.

She suddenly felt extremely foolish. She would not let her first kiss go to waste.

So she tentatively reached her arms up and put her hands on his shoulders. Although she felt his shoulder blades, he felt strong beneath her grasp.

Annabeth let her eyes shut, so she could be like him, not seeing, not hearing, but just living, because even if you lived in a world of black, you were still living, and that's what mattered.

"It would be wrong," he murmured, when he gently pried her hands from his shoulders, "for me not to give any thanks to you, wouldn't it?" His face was terribly red. "So there. As thanks, I hereby give you my first kiss. It's not very impressive, isn't it? Yeah, I know, but-"

Annabeth tackled him. "No," she said, burying her face into his neck. "It was perfect, Percy."

"Well, Annabeth, it is my honor."

"We are such fools, you and I."

* * *

><p>Well, that ends it. Stay tuned for Chapter 6.<p> 


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